Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #115

By

Ballotpedia staff

Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and governance.

In today’s edition, you’ll find:

  • On the issues: The debate over arming teachers 
  • In your district: Student involvement in school board governance
  • School board filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications
  • School choice looms large in Texas, Tennessee Republican state legislative primaries 
  • Extracurricular: education news and numbers from around the web
  • Candidate Connection survey

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On the issues: The debate over arming teachers

In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and commentary on the issues school board members deliberate when they set out to offer the best education possible in their district. Missed an issue? Click here to see the previous education debates we’ve covered.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a law in April 2024 allowing teachers to carry concealed firearms in schools.

Thirty-three other states have enacted similar laws.

Kara Birch writes that arming teachers would create more dangerous situations and worsen gun violence in schools. Birch says teachers might practice poor firearm safety or behave aggressively. She also says schools should focus on giving teachers and parents resources to identify and help children that need support. 

Nikki Goeser writes that gun-free zones make schools soft targets for shooters. Goesser says allowing licensed and firearm-educated teachers to carry concealed firearms in schools would deter shooters and make schools safer. She also says that while armed school resource officers may help prevent school shootings, multiple armed and responsible adults would offer a better defense.

I’m a Tennessee parent and educator. The heroic teacher with a gun ideal is a myth | Kara Birch, The Tennessean

“As an educator, parent, and mental health clinician, I have seen a bit of everything and know that human impulses often get the best of us. Now, imagine with me for a moment a gun at a teacher’s side loaded with bullets that can’t be taken back. With the No. 1 cause of childhood death in Tennessee being gun violence, we have to take a step back and consider: What is best for the child? … Picture a curious 5 year old or a couple of knuckleheaded teenagers at your local school. What would have been a little kid’s curiosity at something else is now a gun that someone accidentally forgot to lock, leading to a life altering mistake. … Perfect emotional and psychological calm and clarity in a room of thirty 13 year olds is impossible to maintain every day of the year (those of you with just one teenager know this well). Instead, could we consider creating a community of support and safety where youth that are struggling are noticed and supported before they even consider purchasing a weapon?”

My husband was killed in a ‘gun free zone.’ Arm teachers for safety and to save lives | Nikki Goeser, The Tennesseean

“Clearly, these evil people aren’t looking for a fair fight. They want full control and no opposition along the way. That’s why ‘Gun Free Zones’ continue to be their No. 1 destination for a massacre. At school, our children and grandchildren are vulnerable to harm. Allowing teachers and administrators to carry concealed firearms on campus will only make our schools safer. While school resource officers (SROs) can provide an important layer of protection and support in our schools, employing – and arming – one person to safeguard an entire campus is simply inadequate. … While this legislation is far from perfect, it is an extra layer of security and a huge step in the right direction. Senate Bill 1325 does not solve all of the ills that plague our community, state, or country, but allowing highly competent and approved educators to carry concealed firearms will undoubtedly save lives.”

In your district: Student involvement in school board governance

We want to hear what’s happening in your school district. Please complete the very brief survey below—anonymously, if you prefer—and we may share your response with fellow subscribers in an upcoming newsletter.

What is your opinion on whether schools should encourage more student involvement in school board meetings and decisions?

Click here to respond!

School board update: filing deadlines, election results, and recall certifications

In 2023, Ballotpedia covered elections for over 9,000 school board seats in more than 3,000 districts across 34 states. We’re expanding our coverage each year with our eye on the more 13,000 districts with elected school boards. 

Election results from the past week

Ballotpedia covered school board runoff elections in 10 districts in Georgia on June 18, including in the DeKalb County School District, the state’s third largest. 

Ballotpedia is covering all school board elections in Georgia this year. 

In the runoff election for DeKalb County School District 5, Tiffay Tate Hogan defeated Donna Priest-Brown 56% to 44%. 

On May 21, Hogan and Donna Priest-Brown advanced to the runoff after winning 43.2% and 30.7% of the vote, respectively, on May 21. Candidates Telessa Ammons and Manus Bernard Caldwell Jr. lost in the general election.

Georgia is one of three states—along with Mississippi and Louisiana—that require runoffs for school board and other elections when a candidate doesn’t win a majority of the vote. 

We also covered runoffs in the following districts on June 18:

  • Appling County Schools 
  • Barrow County Schools
  • Clarke County Schools
  • Douglas County Schools
  • Griffin-Spalding County Schools
  • Houston School District
  • Lowndes County School District
  • Rockdale School District
  • Ware County School District

Upcoming school board elections

Ballotpedia is covering elections in the following Utah districts on June 25:

School choice looms large in Texas, Tennessee Republican state legislative primaries 

Disagreement over policies that provide taxpayer funding for private K-12 educational expenses is a prominent backdrop in this year’s Republican state legislative primaries in Texas and Tennessee. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) both endorsed candidates in Republican primaries who support such policies.

Those policies, collectively referred to by their proponents as school choice, include education savings accounts (ESA), vouchers, and education tax credits.

Texas held state legislative primaries on March 5 and primary runoffs on May 28. Tennessee’s state legislative primaries are Aug. 1. 

Texas is one of three states—along with Idaho and North Dakota—with a Republican trifecta that have no school choice policies. Republicans hold a 19-12 majority in the state Senate and an 86-64 majority in the state House. Tennessee has two ESA programs: one is limited to special needs students and the other is a pilot that applies only to low- and middle-income students in Davidson, Shelby, and Hamilton counties. Republicans hold a 27-6 majority in the state Senate and a 75-24 majority in the state House.

Here’s a look at how school choice is influencing this year’s state legislative primaries in Texas and Tennessee.

Texas

Throughout Fall 2023, Abbott called four special state legislative sessions for the purpose of passing a universal ESA bill. In the final session, 21 Republican House members voted with all 63 Democrats against including an ESA program in a larger education funding bill. 

Shortly thereafter, Abbott endorsed all the House members who voted for the ESA program and sought re-election. Abbott later backed 11 candidates running against House members who opposed the measure. 

Of the 16 incumbent lawmakers who voted against the school choice measure and ran for re-election, nine lost in the primaries or runoffs. In seven of those races, Abbott endorsed the challenger who won. Seven incumbents who opposed the school choice measure won in the primary or primary runoffs. Abbott endorsed challengers in three of those elections.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) voted “present” on the school choice measure. Phalen defeated his challenger in the May 28 runoffs 50.7%-49.3%. Abbott did not endorse Phalen’s challenger. 

Overall, there were 59 contested Republican primaries on March 5. Forty-six of those (78.0%) involved incumbents facing primary challengers. Of those, 29 incumbents (63.0%) advanced to the general election and eight (17.4%) advanced to the May 28 runoffs. Nine (19.6%) lost to challengers—the largest number of incumbent defeats since 2012, when 10 House Republicans lost in the primaries.

Abbott said, “The Texas Legislature now has enough votes to pass school choice. This is a victory for every Texas family across our great state. While we did not win every race we fought in, the overall message from this year’s primaries is clear: Texans want school choice. Opponents of school choice can no longer ignore the will of the people.”

State Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R), who opposed Abbott’s school choice bill but won his runoff election 53.5% to 46.5%, said, “I do believe that there are some members that maybe would vote for a voucher who would have a hard time voting for a universal voucher that’s going to hit the budget for $22 billion in the fifth year for the biennium,” VanDeaver said. “I think there are some good strong conservatives who will scratch their heads and say, ‘How is that conservative?’”

Click here to read more about Texas House of Representatives elections in 2024. 

Tennessee

In the 2024 legislative session, Gov. Bill Lee (R) supported a proposal allowing all Tennessee families with school-age children access to vouchers to be applied towards the cost of private school.

The bill did not advance to a final vote before the end of the session owing to differences between the House and Senate drafts in what Chalkbeat described as “one of the biggest defeats of [Lee’s] administration, now in its second term.” 

Some conservative organizations, such as Tennessee Stands, opposed the bill, arguing the government should not fund education.

According to the Tennessee Lookout, with the legislature out of session until 2025, the primaries “are the next frontier in the debate over whether state lawmakers should adopt a universal plan to provide parents with $7,200 in cash to subsidize private school tuition.”

As of June 18, 2024, Lee has endorsed three House Republicans—Scott Cepciky (R), William Lamberth (R), and John Ragan (R)—for re-election. All three support expanding the pilot program to cover students across the state. 

Lee had also endorsed three candidates running in open seats who support school choice policies. 

Lee said, “School choice is really important to me. It’s a priority issue for me. Certainly, it weighs heavily in the decisions around who I’m going to be supportive of. Yes, I’m asking people how they feel about every issue, and in particular, I ask them what’s their view for education freedom in this state. It shapes my input in their races.”

National Rural Education Association Executive Director Dr. Allen Pratt said, “Strong public schools build strong communities in rural Tennessee. The National Rural Education Association urges Tennessee lawmakers to reject Governor Lee’s voucher scheme, which is a failed policy that will harm the very students and communities they claim to help. It’s time to stand up for public education and demand that we keep public funds in public schools where they belong.”

Click here to read more about Tennessee’s upcoming House of Representatives elections. 

Extracurricular: education news and numbers from around the web

This section contains links to recent education-related articles from around the internet. If you know of a story we should be reading, reply to this email to share it with us! 

Take our Candidate Connection survey to reach voters in your district

Today, we’re looking at survey responses from two candidates running in June 25 nonpartisan primaries for seats on the Jordan School District Board of Education in Utah. Stephen Cassity is running for Voting District 5 against incumbent Bryce Dunford and Mitchell Atencio. Incumbent Niki George represents Voting District 6, and she is running against Clareen Arnold. 

With around 58,000 students, the Jordan School District is Utah’s fourth-largest district. It encompasses parts of Salt Lake County. 

Here’s how Cassity answered the question, “What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?”

  • “I want parents, students and teachers voices heard. Your voice matters and we want it heard weather positive or if their is something we can improve on.
  • Teachers need the compensation they were promised by the school district and why the taxes were raised in the first place was for this matter.
  • I want our students protected in a safe and welcoming atmosphere without fear of being bullied or harassed by their beliefs or thoughts.”

Click here to read the rest of Cassity’s responses. 

Here’s how George answered the question, “What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?”

  • Access: As a 3rd grade student I was given the opportunity to volunteer in a preschool for students with disabilities, that fateful year convinced me of who I wanted to be: a voice for those who may not be able to speak for themselves. While I have pursued a career as a special education teacher, my desire to create access for those on the fringes has not stopped with the special education population. Whether I am connecting constituents with the opportunities that can change their child’s life, learning how we can enrich school experiences for advanced learners, or innovating ways to welcome newcomers to our country I am committed to finding a way to yes for my neighbors and community.
  • Advocacy: I dislike the term “fight for” in politics today. I believe that Utah is filled with elected officials who want what is best for Utahns. We don’t fight against each other, but advocate for the issues that should rise to the top of the priority list. I am committed to advocating for public education. I have worked with other school boards, state leaders, and my constituents to advocate for public education. I will make the hard decisions and have the high stakes conversations in order to protect children’s right to a free and appropriate education.
  • Leadership: Any school board member who claims to have done something independently is not being truthful. I understand that as a board member my effectiveness boils down to my ability to work with my board mates. By building relationships, listening, and forming educated arguments I have been able to work as an effective board member. During my tenure on the Jordan Board of Education I have been entrusted with several responsibilities that I believe demonstrate my ability to gain the trust of my board mates. Some of these include my work as First Vice President of the board, chair of the government relations committee, finance committee, facilities committee, chair of the school closure policy and sensitive materials and many others.”

Click here to read the rest of George’s responses. 

If you’re a school board candidate or incumbent, click here to take the survey. If you’re not running for school board, but there is an election in your community this year, share the link with the candidates and urge them to take the survey!

In the 2022 election cycle, 6,087 candidates completed the survey. 
The survey contains more than 30 questions, and you can choose the ones you feel will best represent your views to voters. If you complete the survey, a box with your answers will display on your Ballotpedia profile. Your responses will also appear in our sample ballot.